Source: Rheumatology  |  Posted 8 years ago

Physically healthy people who are depressed have detectably lower folate status than those who are not depressed, researchers say.

The investigators, from the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, evaluated associations between depression and folate status in an ethnically diverse general population sample aged 15 to 39 years.

Red blood cell and serum folate concentrations were measured in 2,948 individuals. Total homocysteine concentration was also determined. Diagnostic interviews identified 301 subjects with major depression and 121 with dysthymia.

Subjects who met the criteria for a lifetime diagnosis of major depression had lower serum and red blood cell folate concentrations than did subjects who had never been depressed. Those with dysthymia also had lower red blood cell folate than never-depressed subjects, although serum folate concentrations were similar between these two groups.

Sociodemographics, serum vitamin B12 concentration, alcohol consumption in the previous year, overweight status and use of vitamin/mineral supplements, cigarettes and illegal drugs were all taken into account during the analysis.

There was no relationship between serum total homocysteine and depression. Low folate status and folate deficiency was most characteristic of those subjects who had recently recovered from depression.

Folate supplementation may be indicated in the year following a depressive episode, the investigators suggest.